Article 25

The *Khilafah* is a contract of choice and consent, so no one is compelled to accept it, and no one is compelled to choose the one who would undertake it.

The proof for this is the evidence that any *Shari’ah* contract is completed between two parties since it is a contract like all the other contracts. On top of that, the narration of *the Bedouin gave the pledge of allegiance to Allah's Prophet ﷺ for Islam. Then the Bedouin got fever at Medina, came to Allah's Prophet and said, "O Allah's Prophet! Cancel my Pledge," But Allah's Prophet ﷺ refused. Then he came to him (again) and said, "O Allah's Prophet! Cancel my Pledge." But the Prophet ﷺ refused. Then he came to him (again) and said, "O Allah's Prophet! Cancel my Pledge." But the Prophet refused. The Bedouin finally went out (of Medina) whereupon Allah's Prophet ﷺ said,*

«إِنَّهَا الْمَدِينَةُ كَالْكِبْرِ تَنْفِي خَبَثَهَا وَيَنْصَعُ طَيِّهَا»

*"*Medina is like a pair of bellows (furnace): It expels its impurities and brightens and clears its good*." (agreed upon by Muslim and Al-Bukhari). As the pledge upon the *Khilafah* is a pledge upon obedience to the one who has the right to be obeyed from the people of authority, then it is a contract upon choice and consent, and so it is not correct by compulsion; neither compulsion on the one given the pledge nor compulsion upon those who are giving the pledge due to the words of the Messenger ﷺ

«إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَضَعَّ عَنْ أُمَّتِي الْخَطَّآءَ وَالسُّؤْيَانَ وَمَا اسْتَكْرَهُوا عَلَيْهِ»

*“Allah has forgiven my nation (Ummati) for mistakes and forgetfulness, and what they are forced to do.”* (reported by Ibn Maja through Ibn ‘Abbas), and this is general for every contract including the contract of the *Khilafah*. Accordingly, every contract that occurs due to compulsion is void, since it has not been contracted. In the same manner as the other contracts, the *Khilafah* is not contracted by compulsion.

Likewise, the *Khilafah* is not completed except with two contracting parties like any other contract; so, someone would not be a *Khalifah* unless someone appoints him to the *Khilafah*, and so if someone appoints themselves as *Khalifah* without a pledge from those whom the *Khilafah* is contracted through, he would not be a *Khalifah* unless they gave him the pledge with satisfaction and consent, in which case he becomes *Khalifah* after this pledge; as for before it then he would not be considered such. If the people are forced to give the pledge, the person would not be the *Khalifah* after this pledge which was taken by compulsion, and the *Khilafah* would not be contracted to him since it is a contract which is not contracted through compulsion due to the words of the Messenger ﷺ

«إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَضَعَ عَنْ أُمَّتِي الْخَطَّآءَ وَالنَّسْيَانَ وَمَا اسْتَكْرَهُوا عَلَيْهِ»

*“Allah has forgiven my nation (Ummati) for mistakes and forgetfulness, and what they are forced to do.”* , and what has been forgiven is considered to be void.

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